Money Well Spent. Co-opConnection. Youth Tour sponsorships an investment in our future

Transcription

1 Co-opConnection President and CEO E. LeRoy Toy Nettles, Jr. Chairman, Board of Trustees James A. Goodson Trustees Jule Conner Preston Gainey David Howell Louise Kelley Hamer Parnell Fred Riales W. F. Rogers LaShon Sellers Don Teal Pat Thomas-Toney Office Hours 8 a.m. 5 p.m. Monday Friday Corporate Headquarters 1355 East McIver Road PO Box 491 Darlington, SC District Office 1811 North 501 Bypass Marion, SC Report Power Outage (843) Toll-Free (866) Website PeeDeeElectric.com Co-op News Editor Tom Kinard Money Well Spent Youth Tour sponsorships an investment in our future I M FRUGAL, I have to admit. I don t like spending money needlessly. I tend to be conservative when it comes to shopping for gifts, eating out, buying new clothes or spending money on things we don t really need. This frugality doesn t always score me points, but it helps give our family a sound financial base and security for the years ahead. Here at Pee Dee Electric Cooperative, we re also conservative about expenditures. Your Board of Trustees analyzes and justifies what needs to be spent to provide affordable and reliable electric service to our members. We look down the road to determine what investments need to be made now to help keep your co-op strong and viable. Every year when it s time to put budgets together, there is one investment that we always make sure we keep in place. This investment is one we know will pay big dividends down the road, both for our cooperative and for our communities. That investment is in education providing opportunities for the children of our members, or our members themselves, to learn and grow. I m a firm believer that everybody should visit our nation s capital at least once and doing so when you re getting ready to study government as a high school senior can be the ideal time. On the Washington Youth Tour this month, three local students have an opportunity to meet firsthand with our elected officials in Washington. They ll tour many of our nation s landmarks. And they ll get to share this experience with kids from other cooperatives all around the country. More than 1,000 students will convene in the capital city this month to learn about cooperatives and how our government operates. Madison Braddock, Jessica McFatter and Shelley Ray will represent PDEC at the seat of government. Another program we look forward to annually is awarding two $1,000 WIRE scholarships. For more than 20 years, the Pee Dee chapter of Women Involved in Rural Electrification has provided financial aid to outstanding area students. We ve helped many students pursue higher education. I can t think of a better investment for Pee Dee Electric to make in the future of our country. I know that several of our scholarship winners have completed their education and have returned home to pursue their careers. That s a return on investment that can t be questioned. British statesman Benjamin Disraeli once said, Upon the education of the people Brian kelley of this country, the fate of this country depends. We agree wholeheartedly. That s why we ll continue to invest in education. It benefits our members, our communities and our co-op. It s money well worth spending. James A. Goodson Chairman, Board of Trustees 4 SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING June 2011 scliving.coop

2 News Copper Theft on the Rise Electric utilities are once again falling victim to people who think co-ops are an easy mark for obtaining metals such as aluminum and especially copper, and Pee Dee Electric is no exception. Complaints of copper theft have increased dramatically, causing concern for member safety. Several substations have been targeted across the country. Thieves are cutting through substation fencing to take copper reels, and copper products have been stolen from utility trucks, transformers, work sites and storage facilities. Danger Keep Out The situation is more serious than thefts alone. Substation intruders in Virginia, Kentucky, Florida and Texas have been electrocuted while attempting to steal copper. By trespassing in substations, these people gambled with their lives and lost. Some pieces of equipment in the substation could be energized at more than 100,000 volts. Electric utility substations are clearly marked with warning signs that read Danger Keep Out. This means think safety first and walk the other way. PDEC also takes other precautions to guard electric substations against intrusion. Fencing around substations is normally 8 feet high on all sides, and specially keyed padlocks are placed on entrances. Copper Theft Is a Felony Crime Copper theft is a felony crime, and offenders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows. Copper theft costs the utility (and our members) money and decreases reliability to members homes and businesses. People can get hurt or killed when copper is stolen. Stealing copper may energize pieces of equipment or substation areas not meant to carry electricity thus endangering and possibly electrocuting or otherwise harming PDEC employees. Securing Safety Deterring Theft f If you see any unusual activity in or around substations, towers, utility poles or storage sites, report it to local law enforcement and PDEC immediately. f No one should EVER climb substation fences, utility poles or towers. f People must stay away from substations and transformers. Activity like this is hazardous and can result in severe injury or death. More Than Safety Your Money Is Involved The cost of copper theft is borne by the members of Pee Dee Electric. The damage done to electric systems packs a big punch. Equipment can be ruined without the protection of copper wires. Pee Dee Electric uses copper to protect power lines and equipment from electrical surges and lightning by giving electricity a safe path to the ground. Copper wire is used in substations where electricity is stepped down from the high voltage arriving from distant power plants before it travels to your neighborhood. Then another transformer near your home either mounted on a utility pole or in a green box on the ground lowers the voltage again so you can use the power at home. Copper is an essential component every step of the way. When copper is stolen, insurance pays resulting in increased cost of premiums. Linemen often have to work overtime to repair damage done in a substation when a criminal steals copper wire. The cost of replacement, repairs and increased security are reflected in the electric bills of every member. At one electric cooperative, metal thieves took off with about $100 worth of wire from a substation. They left behind a $1 million repair bill after a fire destroyed regulators, switches and a $600,000 transformer. More than 3,500 consumers were temporarily left in the dark after the incident. Pee Dee Electric sells electricity at cost. If the cost includes thousands of dollars spent to maintain our substations and system because of vandals and thieves, those expenses will have to be divided among the membership. TOM KINARD PLEASE, if you see anyone suspicious near a substation, call 911 immediately and then call PDEC, (843) or toll-free (866) It s your money. Help us protect it. scliving.coop June 2011 SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING 5

3 Co-op News EXTRA Jeff Singletary PDEC Energy Expert Tankless water heaters are all the rage. They seem almost too good to be true. Maybe they are. This month, let s look at the pros and cons. For electric tankless water heaters, the advantages are: f Requires less space for installation. f Can produce hot water continuously. The disadvantages of tankless water heaters are: f Tankless units require nearly five times more demand for electricity during operation 20 kw or more compared to 4.5 kw for standard water heaters. f For some homes, existing electric panels may not be large enough and require an upgrade. Tankless units can consume between 100 and 150 amps making dimming lights and other lowvoltage incidents a possibility. f The flow rate of hot water at showerheads may be significantly less than your present flow. Tankless water heaters are very sensitive to how fast water flows. The slower the flow, the hotter the final water temperature. f Any reported electric cost savings between a tankless and a tanktype water heater are based on the assumption of standby losses experienced by the tank model. It requires the same amount of electricity from both units to produce hot water. But today s electric tanktype water heaters use an insulation which is very effective, thus greatly reducing any standby loss. Electric tankless water heaters often don t save much energy or money compared to tank-style models. f When two or more tasks requiring hot water are performed at the same time, water temperature from a tankless water heater gets cooler for both tasks. The temperature from tank-style electric water heaters is not affected by simultaneous multiple tasks. f Tankless electric water heaters are much more expensive than tank-style models and more complicated making maintenance more important. The present water heater service industry does not have the same large network of skilled servicemen available for tankless units that exists for tank-style models. f Tankless water heaters are NOT instant. If a tankless unit is installed the same distance from a shower as a tank model, it will take more time for hot water to reach the showerhead from the tankless unit. Tankless units require a little more time to start sending hot water because they first have to produce it. f Colder winter water requires more heat to warm it to 110 degrees. Tankless water heaters cannot compensate for this colder water unless the flow rate is slowed down. Lower flow rates are frustrating to homeowners. f If homeowners in large numbers choose tankless electric water heaters, everyone s electric rates will go up. Most hot water is consumed in the morning when we awaken and again in the evening after we return home from work and school. These two time periods are PDEC s daily peak times for providing electricity to our customers homes. Most hot water produced by a tank-type unit occurs while we sleep and are away at work or school. So the electricity we demand for hot water production will be less at those two peak times of the day from a tank-type unit. Tankless units have no hot water stored and must consume all the electricity to produce it during the peak time periods with a heater that is five times larger than that of a tank-style unit. This will cause power availability challenges. The solution could lead Pee Dee Electric to buy more expensive, wholesale power to meet demand at peak periods. Before you install a tankless electric water heater, call me to discuss these issues, (843) or toll-free (866) Tank you! file scliving.coop June 2011 SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING 16A

4 The Wonderful Balloon Air Ride As a child, Laura Wood loved the motion picture, The Wizard of Oz. The movie was special to her because the Wizard s mode of transportation was a hot-air balloon. Oh, if one day I could ride in a hot-air balloon, it would make me so happy, she used to think. Laura s wish lasted many years. This year, her wish came true. The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of South Carolina, including Pee Dee Electric, granted Laura s wish at the Darlington Raceway as part of the Second Wind Dreams. This program grants wishes to people living in elder care communities. The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Hot Air Balloon was at the Darlington Raceway as part of a display by the TE co-ops of South Carolina for the benefit of Southern 500 race fans on Mother s Day weekend. The balloon s pilot is a real-life wizard of the air. John Petrehn has been flying hot-air balloons since he was four years of age. He learned to fly from his father who taught seven of his children the ups and downs of hot-air ballooning. John claimed his second World Championship last year and will be defending his title this summer. 16B SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING June 2011 scliving.coop

5 At 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, Laura Wood met John Petrehn at the Raceway and was briefed on her flight. Although the balloon was tethered firmly to the ground, Laura, who is 79, admitted to being a little nervous about the culmination of her lifelong wish. Laura was made comfortable in the rattan basket and the dual propane burners were adjusted by Petrehn for an easy ascent into the Pee Dee morning sky. Smiling the entire time, Laura was lifted about 100 feet near the race track. Her wish granted, a contented lady said, It was more than I ever dreamed it could be. When she returned to her home at the Elmcroft Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Florence, Laura Wood handwrote a thank you note to staff who helped with her special ride. Thank you for the trip to the wonderful balloon air ride. It was more than wonderful. The TE hot-air balloon is 60 feet wide and holds 77,000 cubic feet of hot air. It has been seen by more than 10,000,000 people at events from the Kentucky Derby to the famed New Mexico Balloon Fiesta. Pee Dee Electric Cooperative is proud to be a Touchstone Energy Cooperative. We provide electric energy to more than 30,000 members in six counties in northeastern South Carolina. And sometimes, we help in making wishes come true. photos: page chestnut scliving.coop June 2011 SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING 16C

6 Introducing: Pee Dee Electric Cooperative s i-on energy is a new program to help you monitor and manage your home s energy usage. As part of this effort, we re unveiling the i-on energy dashboard, your one-stop online destination for personalized home energy data. On the dashboard, you can view and pay your bill, compare your usage to previous months and years, analyze how and when your home uses energy, and much more. The dashboard also offers customized tips for improving your home s energy efficiency and saving money on your electric bill. Sign up at PeeDeeElectric.com. It s fast, free and easy! All you need is your account number and address. Sign up today and keep an eye on your energy with i-on energy! Home Comparison: Compares your home to similar PDEC homes Account Summary: Balance and due date Energy Use: Your energy dollar by household category Bill Highlights: Factors that impact your bill Usage Times: Shows when you use energy daily Usage Comparison: Compares your bill to previous bills PeeDeeElec tric.com Toll Free: